Bournemouth University rolls out staff wellbeing and sustainability programme

Bournemouth University is rolling out a sustainability and employee wellbeing programme to its 2,000 employees.

Its Green Rewards programme, which will launch to all staff in January 2018, is designed to help employees boost their health and wellbeing as well as work to reduce carbon emissions to create a more sustainable environment.

Linked to Bournemouth University’s commitment to delivering the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the programme sees employees compete on an individual or team basis to earn green points for addressing aspects of the global SDGs. Monthly prizes are awarded to top performing individuals as part of the programme, and the team with the most green points are rewarded by being able to make an annual charity donation.

Green Rewards piloted at the university in 2017 enlisting 450 employees who work across four different departments. At the conclusion of the six-month pilot period, the programme reported employees were traveling 26,000 miles to and from campus sustainably, a 14.6% reduction in average energy consumption across participating departments, avoiding 11 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions.

More than two-fifths (45%) of employees who took part in the pilot stated that they had increased their sustainable behaviour at work since signing up to the programme, and 39.9% of participating employees believed they had improved their health and fitness. The winning team at the end of the pilot opted to donate £100 to Bournemouth Food Bank.

Neil Smith, sustainability manager at Bournemouth University, said: “We’re really excited to roll out the Green Rewards programme to all staff at Bournemouth University. As more and more employees take part, we expect to see real improvements to the health and sustainability of our university campuses, while on a global level every positive action we take contributes to the Sustainable Development Goals.

“Increasingly, we are seeing more universities and organisations taking steps to embed the SDGs within their sustainability strategies. Green Rewards is one way we can ensure our staff have a positive impact here at the university and globally.”